As scorching temperatures plague the nation from coast to coast, wildfires rage in even the most unlikely places.

MENTION WILDFIRE, and the scorched hills of California, parched western plains of Washington, and beetle-infested forests of the Rocky Mountains come to mind. The wilds of Alaska aren’t generally considered to be a high risk location, but as it turns out, 2015 is shaping up to be the state’s worst wildfire season ever.

The climate may have just found its most effective advocate in the Pope. Will climate deniers succeed in diminishing his message, or will his unflinching stance inspire swift and unified global action?

Pope Francis has rocked the world with a sweeping 184-page encyclical (teaching letter) officially released today that wages war on climate change. His message is brave and direct: climate change has been caused primarily by human activity; humans have been irresponsible stewards of the planet; citizens of developed nations must change their lifestyles in order to eliminate an abhorrent “culture of waste”; and every one of us must step immediately for an all-inclusive crusade to avert the “unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem” before the end of this century.

Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches dangerous record quantity.

FOR YEARS, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS have warned us that if the concentration of carbon dioxide, a harmful heat-trapping greenhouse gas, exceeds 400 parts per million (PPM) for a sustained period of time, we will likely face a vicious cycle of deteriorating climatic conditions leading to even more extreme global temperatures, greater weather instability, rising sea levels and other nature-based calamities.

Will we choose to live in harmony with nature or separated from it?

Last weekend, I watched two movies. The first one, set in in the 1920s, was about a female immigrant who came to New York City to build a new life. Instead of finding streets paved with gold, she encountered heartbreak and deception everywhere. The movie was grim and grimy, depicting the hardships of the era. As I watched, I remember thinking how grateful I am to be alive today, with all of our amenities, technological innovations and medical advancements.

What’s in a name? As Shakespeare orated in his epic love story Romeo and Juliet, “that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” But in Florida Governor Rick Scott’s world, the perils of a warming planet are somehow diminished simply by changing the words we use to refer to them.